handsome stranger
by sad-goomy
Summary: Gladion and Moon's first meeting wasn't exactly romantic, but maybe there's a world out there in which it was. (Based loosely on Dodie's "Absolutely Smitten")


_"Do you remember the first time we met?"_

 _Gladion turns to look at Moon, who rests her head on his shoulder and her legs up on the couch. Her eyes remain on the movie, but it's clear she's stopped really paying attention. He considers her question for a moment, thinking back to the beginning of his time with her and nearly cringing. "All too well."_

 _She looks up at him out of the corner of her eyes, a mischievous smile taking over her lips. "Not the most romantic way to meet."_

 _He laughs. "There are definitely better ways to meet your future girlfriend."_

* * *

An Australian Shepherd runs down the sidewalk, tongue out and tail wagging as it speeds away from its owner, who's a blur of blond and black.

"Hey, watch it!"

The crowd slows him down as the dog expertly weaves its way uptown with an almost unnatural determination.

"Silvally!"

Gladion calls after his dog, not paying any mind to the dozens of people he's bumping into, instead focusing on not losing sight of Silvally. Though he doesn't quite realize it, his dog has led him to a part of the city he rarely visits. If anything, it only makes Gladion more nervous, desperate to catch the speedy rescue.

"Silvally, stop!"

But then the moment comes and his heart drops as he can no longer find the speckled fur amongst the crowd of people making their way past him on the street. With a sigh, Gladion continues walking, calling out occasionally for his dog until the crowd lessens, and he's on a quiet residential street.

"Oh, what a good boy!"

His ears perk, familiar with the form of baby talk (considering he's been guilty of using it on Silvally himself). Whipping his head around, he finds that Silvally is on the other side of the street, in front of an apartment complex, getting his belly rubbed as though he hasn't just given his owner a heart attack. Gladion's about to cross the street and thank the stranger for stopping his dog when he freezes, feeling a strange tug on his chest as he watches her.

The small smile on her face makes him feel pleasantly warm, and her gray eyes mystify him. He swallows the lump of butterflies trying to escape his throat. The young woman furrows her brows, asking the dog, "Now, what's your name?" She carefully twists the collar around to find the metal tag, and her eyes light up. "Silvally, huh? What a pretty name. And who's your owner?"

"That's me!" He cringes at his enthusiasm, and the fact that he manages to startle the girl, who looks up at him with wide eyes. After he crosses the street, he finds himself breathless from something other than running. "I'm - "

Smitten.

"Gladion."

She grins, and he swears that the colors around her take on a rosy hue. Standing, she keeps her left hand holding Silvally's collar, and sticks her right out. "I'm Moon." With a wink, she adds, "Silvally's guardian angel."

Scratch that. Absolutely smitten.

* * *

Though she's worked at Aether for nearly a month, Moon can safely say she has no idea who her actual boss is. Her coworkers are more than a little concerned.

"Seriously?" Leilani, a fellow scientist, can't stop shaking her head. "You didn't even know his name?"

"You might want to pick your jaw up from the floor," Moon mutters, adjusting the telescope she's using and wishing she had remembered to put in her contacts this morning. When she's done examining the slide, she sits back, picking her glasses up from the desk and cleaning them with her shirt as she watches Leilani scowl. "Well I've never met him, and I only ever answer to Faba or Wicke."

Her coworker doesn't look convinced, but she only sighs. "Well he'll be here any minute and this place looks like a mess."

"It always does, what's the big deal?"

"Ah, Leilani and Moon." The two turn to the door of the lab, Moon putting on her glasses as she finds Wicke at the entrance with a tall stranger. The branch manager smiles, explaining, "I emailed you, but Gladion wanted to see the labs today."

The big deal is that the president of Aether Foundation is, without a doubt, the most beautiful man she's ever met. With just a look he steals her breath away, and she isn't sure if having such a strong jawline and such pretty eyes is legal.

She thinks she's doing her best to hide it; her skin is tan enough to hide the flush of her cheeks, and her glasses should cover her wide eyes. Still, Leilani gives her a devilish smirk and leans over to whisper in her ear, "You might want to pick your jaw up from the floor."

But the real issue is that the second those brilliant emerald eyes landed on her, she was struck with Cupid's arrow, and she has no intention of removing it.

* * *

"If you ever start doubting that I'm your best friend, remember that I came to this concert for you."

Moon laughs at Hau, who smiles as he sips his drink, surveying the small concert venue and still not able to comprehend just how such a dark, punk space could exist in Alola. Then again, it's a venue he regularly avoids, and would have continued to do so if it weren't for Moon begging him to go to this Roxie concert with her.

She gives him a quick side hug and coats her voice in sugary sweetness. "You're my very best friend in the world, Hau."

"All right, that's enough." The two laugh at themselves, then turn their eyes back towards the stage when the opening act walks on to set up. A smattering of applause and a few hollers ripple through the crowd, watching the group of young men tuning their instruments and checking equipment.

When Hau turns to make another wisecrack – this time about the ripped clothing everyone in this band seems to own – he stops himself.

Moon's gaze is like a laser, focusing in on the front man of the opening act. He's a young man around their age, with a patchy blond haircut and a brooding presence. He puts on the strap of his cherry red guitar and adjusts the mic stand to fit his height, but Moon acts as though she's watching the Sistine Chapel being painted.

After a final check, the front man takes a hold of the mic. "We're Type: Null and we're here to open for Roxie." And then they launch into their first song, a cacophony of screeching guitar, racing drums, and a melodic voice that ties it all together.

None of that really hits Moon, though, as she instead watches the lead singer and guitarist. Maybe it's his stage presence, or piercing gaze, but she can't see anything besides him, and it's the best tunnel vision she's ever had. At one point, she swears that they make eye contact, and then his gaze is going right through her, as he seems to enter his own daze and keep staring.

Hau raises a brow, chuckling as he leans in and shouts in Moon's ear, "I think he likes you!"

She certainly hopes he does.

* * *

 _With a hum, Moon seems to go back to watching the movie, so Gladion does, too. It's an old science fiction film he's seen dozens of times with her, and they've just gotten to the first plot twist when Moon thinks out loud, "Do you think there's a world where it went better?"_

 _"This movie?"_

 _"Our first meeting," she clarifies with a giggle, looking up at him. "And assuming the multiverse theory is correct, of course."_

 _"Oh obviously," he scoffs, earning another laugh from her. He throws his arm around her shoulders and pulls her closer, Moon relaxing into him as though it's the only spot she was made to be in. "There are probably infinite universes where it was actually romantic."_

 _"Maybe." She smiles up at him, and places a soft kiss on his cheek that leaves him feeling warm and dizzy even after all these years. "But I wouldn't have ours any other way."_

* * *

 **A/N:** **Ahhh this is a little late but a big ol' happy Valentine's Day to everyone, here's a bunch of meet cutes with my favorite dorks.**


End file.
